Mary Kay Global Oceans Conservation Challenge
Our oceans and waterways and the marine life in them are critically endangered. If you care about the future of the planet, consider joining this challenge to find innovative solutions to this global crisis.
Design a solution to further the conservation and/or protection of the world’s marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
Did you know, according to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) - a global leader in protecting and restoring marine habitats – oceans provide 80% of the oxygen we breathe and provide food and income for more than 3 billion people? In recent decades, TNC reports, “we have lost significant areas of vital marine habitats: one-third (1/3) of the world’s mangroves, one-half (1/2) of our coral reefs and more than 85% of shellfish reefs. Coral reefs occupy 1% of the ocean yet support 25% of all marine life and provide a source of food, livelihood, coastal protection, and cultural heritage for more than 500 million people worldwide.”
With all that dependency, humans are putting a strain on one of our most precious resources like never before. Without immediate intervention, conservation and protection for the world’s oceans, seas and marine resources, our current and future generations’ well-being is at stake.
According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “Oceans, seas and marine resources are increasingly threatened, degraded or destroyed by human activities, reducing their ability to provide crucial ecosystem services.” Humans disproportionately contribute to climate change, marine pollution, unsustainable fishing practices, and destruction of marine and coastal habitats, just to name a few contributing factors to the degradation of our global marine life and resources. Ironically, this marine life deprivation is jeopardizing human’s well-being worldwide.
To protect our world’s oceans now and in the future, drastic action is needed urgently. This is accomplished through protective governance, more sustainable and responsible practices among human land- and marine-based activities and taking proper measures immediately to reduce the negative anthropogenic impacts on the marine environment. For example, changes in production and consumption patterns and improved management and control of human activities.
Your challenge is to consider innovative products or services you can leverage to support, conserve, and protect marine environments and the coastal communities that depend on them.
How do I get started? Click here.